Receptacles – Vehicle mountable tank – With baffle
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-09
2001-04-24
Castellano, Stephen (Department: 1724)
Receptacles
Vehicle mountable tank
With baffle
Reexamination Certificate
active
06220472
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a baffle for location in tank for liquid, which baffle is operable to reduce hydraulic ram pressure in the liquid resulting from impact of a projectile with an external surface of the tank, and to a tank containing such a baffle.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
A high speed projectile on impact with and penetration into a liquid containing tank generates very high pressure in the liquid which propagates as intense shock waves producing hydraulic ram pressure in the liquid. The shock waves and resulting hydraulic ram pressure in the liquid, combined with the penetration damage from the projectile, ran cause damage to the tank structure and frequently are the cause of catastrophic failure of the tank. The hydraulic ram pressure pulses are intense but of short duration which propagate through the liquid in the tank.
There is thus a need for means for reducing hydraulic ram pressure in the liquid in such a tank and for a generally improved tank which has an improved ability to sustain projectile impact without catastrophic failure.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a baffle for reducing hydraulic ram pressure in a liquid in a tank, when the baffle is located in the liquid in the tank, resulting from impact of a projectile with an external surface of the tank, which baffle includes at least two outer walls which are spaced apart to define therebetween at least one cavity, and a compressible gas or gaseous mixture at reduced, atmospheric or enhanced pressure, contained in the cavity, being sufficiently strong to resist the hydrostatic pressure of liquid in a tank, when the baffle is located in the liquid in the tank, with said baffle outer walls being sufficiently strong to withstand the pressure of the gas or gaseous material contained in the cavity and being spaced apart by an amount sufficient to provide the at least one cavity with a volume sufficient to allow a shock wave or waves in the liquid resulting from compression of the liquid by impact of a projectile on the tank external surface and thus on the liquid, to be reduced by expansion of the compressed liquid into the cavity volume thereby to reduce the hydraulic ram pressure in the liquid, and with the gas or gaseous mixture having a density sufficiently different from the density of the liquid to provide substantially total reflection within the baffle of the shock wave or waves impinging on the baffle thereby to reduce the hydraulic ram pressure in the liquid.
Preferably, the baffle outer walls are made of a plastics material, more preferably a polymeric material,
Conveniently the baffle includes a honeycomb structure contained in and sub-dividing the at least one cavity.
Advantageously the gas or gaseous material utilised is air.
According to a second embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a tank for containing liquid, including at least one baffle according to the present invention.
Preferably the tank is such that the total cavity volume of the baffle or baffles in the tank is up to 10% by volume of the tank volume.
Conveniently the or each baffle is located in the tank so that a shock wave or waves resulting from compression of liquid, when in the tank, resulting from impact of a projectile on an external surface of the tank, impinges on at least one of the outer wails of the or each baffle and so that the shock wave or waves interact with the or each baffle before impinging on the tank external surfaces.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2177369 (1939-10-01), Lyon
patent: 2850083 (1958-09-01), Frost
patent: 3784050 (1974-01-01), Pollack
patent: 4172573 (1979-10-01), Moore et al.
patent: 4615455 (1986-10-01), Tansill
patent: 4878591 (1989-11-01), Johnston
patent: 4925057 (1990-05-01), Childress et al.
patent: 5312012 (1994-05-01), Zink
patent: 0 689 991 (1996-01-01), None
patent: 746625 (1933-06-01), None
patent: 2 001 015 (1979-01-01), None
patent: 2 155 873 (1985-10-01), None
McEwen Rognvald S
Townsend David
Zavtrak Serguei T
BAE Systems plc
Castellano Stephen
Nixon & Vanderhye P. C.
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